Love is in the air.
Eeshwar sat in stunned silence in his car, parked outside the office building, processing this information. He called Gowri to inform that he was already in his car and asked her to come directly to the parking. While waiting for Gowri, he noticed that the traffic around him continued its usual chaos, but he felt suspended in a bubble of sudden possibility.
That evening, as they drove back from work through the familiar streets of Bangalore, Eeshwar felt his palms growing sweaty on the steering wheel. He’d been rehearsing what he wanted to say, but every version sounded either too casual or too dramatic in his head.
Finally, as they stopped at a red light, he turned to her.
“Gowri, can I ask you something important?”
She looked at him, amused by his suddenly serious tone. “That sounds very formal, Eeshwar. Should I be worried?”
“It is important,” he said, his voice carrying a weight she’d never heard before. Then he paused, gathering his thoughts and his courage. “From manning the queues together at the temple to sharing filter coffee during late work nights… from temple steps to traffic jams like this one… I don’t think I’ve ever felt this kind of connection with anyone before. I didn’t even know it was possible to feel so comfortable with another person.”
The light turned green, but the traffic ahead was barely moving. Eeshwar kept his eyes on the road, but his voice grew stronger, more certain.
“You make my life make sense in ways I can’t even explain. You listen to my silences, you remember the small things I mention in passing, you’ve somehow made me feel like the person I am, quiet, reserved, maybe a little too serious, is not just acceptable but actually valued. Will you… would you consider sharing the rest of your life with me?”
Silence filled the car. A blush crept up Gowri’s cheeks, spreading across her face like dawn. The ever-chatty Gowri, who always had a quick response or a gentle tease ready, was for once completely speechless.
At the Silk Board traffic signal, stuck in the eternal traffic jam that had become legendary among Bangalore commuters, Eeshwar added with a nervous grin, “I guess I timed this well. Plenty of time for you to think about it.”
She burst out laughing, the sound filling the car with warmth and breaking the tension that had been building.
“You know,” she said, turning to face him fully, “I always imagined love would be like the movies, dramatic, full of fireworks and grand gestures and passionate declarations. But this? This is so much better than anything I could have imagined.”
Her voice grew softer, more thoughtful. “You stood beside me quietly when I was having a difficult day at work, just bringing me coffee without making a big deal about it. You listened to my stories about my family, my dreams, my silly observations about temple life, and you never once made me feel like I was talking too much. You made me feel seen, truly seen, in a way that no one else ever has.”
He reached over and took her hand, his fingers intertwining with her’s. “Yes, Eeshwar. I would love to spend my life with you. I can’t think of anything that would make me happier.”